The pizza-delivery chain has installed a function on its mobile app that lets customers place
orders by speaking with a computer-generated voice named “Dom.” The rollout is part of a continuing
push by Domino’s to take business away from rivals and smaller pizza shops by offering more
convenient ways to order.

The company, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., says the updated app for iPhones and Android devices
will deliver a “human-like, conversational” experience but notes that it will take some time to
work out the kinks.

“It is not perfect,” Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle said in an interview. “This is the sort of
thing, like any other really new technology launch, you’re going to learn, you’re going to get
better.”

Already, mobile and online ordering accounts for 40 percent of Domino’s U.S. sales. Growing that
portion of its business has become a priority for the chain, with customers increasingly saying
they prefer to place orders that way. People who order digitally also tend to spend more and return
with greater frequency because they like the convenience, Doyle said. He also noted that smaller
pizza shops don’t have the money to invest in such technologies.

“It is clearly an area where we’ll be able to leverage our scale,” he said.

Although other factors have played a role, Domino’s credits digital platforms for helping drive
sales. Last year, its domestic sales rose 5.4 percent at established locations.

Still, compared with many other cuisines, the pizza industry remains fairly fragmented. Four of
the biggest national chains — Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Little Caesars — together have a
little more than 40 percent of the market, Doyle said.

Darren Tristano, an analyst with the industry tracker Technomic, said the major chains have the
potential to grow their market share by leveraging national marketing campaigns and the ability to
offer steeper discounts. And while sophisticated digital ordering platforms give the big chains an
edge, Tristano said those technologies eventually will become cheap enough for smaller players to
adopt.

“That gap is shrinking,” Tristano said.

For now, the voice-ordering function on the Domino’s app is fairly simple.

After pulling up the app, customers type in their address and are taken to the ordering page,
where they can push a button to order by voice. A voice that identifies itself as “Dom” walks
customers through the process by asking if they want additional toppings or other items. To pay,
customers still have to type in their credit-card information.

Domino’s Pizza Inc., which has 5,000 U.S. locations, is partnering with Nuance Communications to
offer the technology.